Chapter 15: Bucking Over Luster
From then on, Luster was back in her hometown of Ponyville. She’d been so blind before, as though her eyes had been glued shut to the magic here. But now she looked with open eyes at the magic of friendship. Everywhere she looked she saw happiness in some form or another.
Her new friends would come to the Castle of Friendship where she lived almost every day. Whenever she exited the Castle doors after her mother made her breakfast, Luster would find them all waiting for her outside with a bright smile from River Song who tapped her hooves excitedly as Luster came down the short pathway from the castle to them to them.
“Luster’s coming! Luster’s coming!” River Song sang. “Let’s make her bust for friendship!”
She suddenly ran up and tackled Luster to the ground. The pink pony smiled up at her Kirin friend. Behind her, Starlight suddenly chuckled as she watched.
“What’s so funny Mom?” Luster asked.
“I remember I was tackled to the ground like that by Pinkie Pie after I… became Twilight’s student,” Starlight said.
Trixie giggled. “You mean after she defeated you and turned you from being a bad pony to a great and good one!”
Starlight frowned at her. “Trixie!”
“What, it’s the truth!” Trixie said. “Come on. That all happened a long time ago and you’re a different pony now!”
“We all are,” Sunburst agreed. “Time can really change a pony.”
Luster nodded as she got up. Just a week had passed since she’d been summoned to Princess Twilight’s throneroom and gained a new perspective on friendship. She had always been annoyed with friendship since it popped everywhere since she’d been a filly. Now she saw it as a lovely thing rather than a waste of time.
She looked around her at her new friends. Gallop gave her a wide grin. Yelena and Georgia small smiles. Luster smiled back.
“See you later,” she said to her family and waved goodbye just like she had a few days ago for the Princess.
Twilight had returned to Canterlot after Luster had made her new friends with the help of the Friendship Council. She would be expecting Luster’s first letter tonight on what she learned about friendship, and Luster wasn’t even sure where to begin. There was so much to tell it seemed.
“So where are we going to go today?” Luster asked.
Gallop laughed. “With how fast I can run, why not everywhere?”
They all shot him strange looks and he chuckled. “Just pulling your hooves… or claws! I know we could never go everywhere in one day! At least you guys couldn’t! Afterall, I’m the three-year winner of first place for the Running of the Leaves!”
“Careful there, Fry,” Georgia said, as she flew next to the rest of them. “You keep bragging like that you could bite off more than you can chew someday. But seriously, where are we going?”
“How about the Buckball field?” Yelena suggested.
“Works for me!” River Song said. “After that we can go swimming!”
They headed to one of the Buckball fields in Ponyville Park where groups of friends played sports. Traditionally Buckball would be played with a unicorn, pegasi, and Earth Pony. But their group wasn’t made of all ponies and they were an odd number.
“Uh-oh. Yelena see problem!” Yelena said. “There five of us now!”
“Oh yeah, since Luster’s with us now that means we won’t have even numbers anymore,” Gallop said. “Ah, well that makes things easier for me to win with her on mine and River Song’s team!”
“What do you mean your team?” Georgia said.
“Yeah, you already have one magic user on your team!” Yelena said pointing to River Song. “Luster should be on our team!”
“No! Luster goes with me because I’m the first to always hug her!” River Song said, putting a hoof around Luster.
“Hey, does that mean you’re going against me?” Gallop asked.
“Yeah! I think its time for a magic duo round! Lets see what you guys can do when you face a unicorn from the school for gifted ones and her Kirin sidekick!” River Song said. “Ha, and I just made sure Luster would take me! Because she’ll be in charge!”
“Ah, come on Luster! With your magic and Yelena’s strength we’d be unstoppable!” Yelena said.
“My speed is better than her strength!” Gallop objected.
“I can fly!” Georgia said spreading her wings.
“Luster goes with me!”
“No, me!”
“Yelena!”
As her friends began fighting over her, Luster’s eagerness for the game suddenly turned into nervousness. The voices made her feel like the world was closing in one her. Her eyes closed as her heart began to beat rapidly.
“Quiet!” she screamed. “You expect me to choose one of you? Well, how can I? You’re all my friends!”
There was silence as her friends faces filled with remorse.
“Sorry Luster,” River Song said.
“Yeah, sorry. Didn’t mean to put pressure on you,” Gallop apologized.
“Yelena sorry!”
“I’m sorry, it was lame of me to try and fight friends over another friend,” Georgia said.
“So, what do we do about this odd number and which team Luster plays on?” River Song asked looking around.
The Future Five were silent for a moment. Luster put a hoof to her chin. Then gasped as a solution came to her.
“How about we all take turns playing each other with me on each team? One of us can sit out so that its fair and the other team doesn’t outnumber the other.”
“Yelena think that great idea! That way its fair for all of us!” Yelena said.
Every other creature nodded.
“So, who are you going to team up with first?” River Song asked. “Please be me! Please be me!”
Luster grinned sheepishly.
“Oh alright, since you’re the most eager!”
“Yay!” River Song hugged her again.
“Well if it’s a magic team first let’s go get em with speed and strength Yelena!” Gallop suggested.
“Yelena with Gallop!” the yak said high hoofing the fast food pony.
Georgia flew off to the side and rested on the grass to watch the first round of the magic vs. earth Buckball game. In old-style Buckball, where there were three players of earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns. But the game had evolved to fit certain other styles in recent years. Luster took the front position for offense while River Song hung back, levitating the bucket for the ball to be thrown in by the opposing team. On the other side, Gallop took the front while Yelena held the bucket in her hooves. Luster would use her magic to levitate the ball, while Gallop would try and use his hooves. While there was no other earth pony player, Luster would have to use her own hooves and not magic when the ball was in Gallops possession.
She and Gallop walked up to each other to the middle of the field where they placed the ball. Luster had seen how fast Gallop moved, if he got past her there was no way she would be able to keep up. She was not athletic like the Earth Pony was.
“Hey,” Gallop said. “Even if I totally knock your tail today, just try and enjoy it. That’s more important to me than winning.”
She smiled at him. “Thanks.”
He seemed to blush slightly. “I’ll go easy on you too, I know you aren’t as fast. It wouldn’t be fun if I won too easily.”
They assumed ready stances. Gallop kicked the ball toward River Song’s side of the field. Luster dashed in that direction, Gallop hung back a moment, letting her get a few seconds head start before charging out. Luster just managed to make it, she looked back and saw him coming. Quickly taking the ball with her magic, she ran with it back in the other direction. Gallop dove for the ball, but Luster managed to get it out of his path and run past him. He turned around just as she threw it great precision into the bucket Yelena held.
"One point to Luster and River Song!” Georgia called out.
“Nice one, Luster!” Gallop said, giving her a high hoof which she accepted with a smile.
Yelena took the ball out of the bucket and shouted, “Here ya go!”
She kicked it with the strong force of a yak. It came at Luster like a meteor and hit her. Luster let out a grunt as she flew back with the ball. She hit the ground with a soft thud.
“Ow!” she said.
“Luster!” River Song called.
All of Luster’s friends gathered around her.
“Yelena sorry Luster!” Yelena said. “I didn’t mean to hit you that hard! Or at all! We yaks sometimes too strong for Pony friends.”
"Are you hurt badly?” Georgia asked, putting a caring claw on Luster.
Luster took a deep breath.
“It’s okay, I’ll be fine!”
She got up on her hooves. The pain lasted for a few minutes but soon began to fade. If that had been a harder object it might have bruised, but a rubber ball was nothing. Luster rotated between her friends as they did games seeing who could get the best three out of five. When Georgia switched with Gallop, Luster used her magic to fly just like she had during the trip to Cloudale, holding the ball in her hooves before getting close enough to throw it into the bucket. They continued to play till lunchtime. Gallop had packed them all hayburgers which they ate with pleasure. Luster’s mane was now messed up and ruffled, her body sweating and dirty along with the others.
“Whoo! I could use a bit of a clean-up,” she said.
“We all could!” River Song added. “How about we go swimming in the river after this?”
“Sounds like a good idea!” Gallop agreed.
They headed for the river that ran through Ponyville and jumped in. The summer day ensured it was a good temperature. They swam around and splashed each other, laughing. Luster soon climbed out and shook.
“This was so much fun today you guys!” she said. “Thanks.”
They all smiled at her.
“It’s probably getting close to noon,” Gallop said. “I have to get to work at the Hayburger Delivery!”
“That means Yelena got to go too!”
“I think we all have to head home!” Georgia said.
Luster smiled. “Well, it was fun today. I think I know what to send Princess Twilight for my first friendship report.”
Her friends all hugged her before splitting. Luster made her way back to the Castle of Friendship. Starlight was in the living room with Sunburst, the two of them were kissing and holding each other lovingly. Luster smiled at her parents. Sunburst opened his eyes and broke the kiss once he saw his daughter.
“Oh, how was your day Luster?” Starlight asked, with what looked like a nervous expression.
“It was fun!” Luster said. “We played a game of Buckball and then went swimming!”
“You enjoyed it than?” Starlight asked.
Luster nodded. “And I think I’m ready to send a letter to Princess Twilight. Do you want to hear it!”
“Of course,” Sunburst said.
Luster took a sheet of paper and quill with her magic before beginning the letter.
Dear Princess Twilight,
This first week back in Ponyville has opened up my eyes to many things I was too blind to see before. Friendship used to make me so annoyed all the time, but now that I actually have four real friends… I feel my heart fill with more joy than all that time I spent reading books. We played Buckball today, all of my friends wanted me on their team. It felt good to have somepony… or creature… want me. I also learned that friendship can sometimes be a little painful, got hit by a ball thrown by my Yak friend Yelena… boy she packs a punch! But still, I see that the magic of friendship is a powerful thing and can’t wait to learn more about it.
Your faithful student,
Luster Dawn.
“Lovely, Luster,” Sunburst said.
Luster cast a spell on the paper, sending it to the Princess. In Canterlot, Twilight opened it with a smile just as Celestia had done for her back in the day.